Abstract

Background

Even though the annual incidence rate of measles has dramatically decreased in industrialised
countries since the implementation of universal immunisation programmes, cases continue
to occur in countries where endemic measles transmission has been interrupted and
in countries where adequate levels of immunisation coverage have not been maintained.
The objective of this study is to develop a model to estimate the average cost per
measles case and per adverse event following measles immunisation using the Netherlands
(NL), the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada as examples.

Methods

Parameter estimates were based on a review of the published literature. A decision
tree was built to represent the complications associated with measles cases and adverse
events following imminisation. Monte-Carlo Simulation techniques were used to account
for uncertainty.

Results

From the perspective of society, we estimated the average cost per measles case to
be US$276, US$307 and US$254 for the NL, the UK and Canada, respectively, and the
average cost of adverse events following immunisation per vaccinee to be US$1.43,
US$1.93 and US$1.51 for the NL, UK and Canada, respectively.

Conclusions

These average cost estimates could be combined with incidence estimates and costs
of immunisation programmes to provide estimates of the cost of measles to industrialised
countries. Such estimates could be used as a basis to estimate the potential economic
gains of global measles eradication.